Rangers Rock Verlander, Give Darvish 10-4 Win

ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 16: Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers throws against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 16, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)*** Local Caption ***Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers throws against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 16, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Credit: Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

By Schuyler Dixon, AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Banished to the dugout after his shortest outing in nearly three years, Justin Verlander wandered around like he didn’t know who or where he was. Maybe it’s because his pitching was unrecognizable.

Geovany Soto knocked out the Detroit ace with a three-run homer that capped a seven-run third, and Yu Darvish lasted eight innings even though an anticipated pitching duel fizzled in the Texas Rangers’ 10-4 victory against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.

Soto’s drive just over the wall in left field came after Verlander walked in two runs — he had three previous bases-loaded walks in his career. Mitch Moreland’s two-out double broke a 3-all tie before Soto’s drive put Texas ahead 8-3.

“He was a little wild, obviously, but the positive out of this game is I won’t have to listen to any more about his velocity,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “He threw a few 99 miles per hour tonight, so we won’t have to worry about whether he’s got the velocity or not. He made a horrible pitch to Moreland and the pitch for the home run was right there.”

Darvish gave up a home run to Jhonny Peralta, the first batter he faced after the Texas outburst. The drive made it three straight games with two homers allowed for Darvish, and pulled Detroit to 8-4.

Then the right-hander retired 15 of the final 16 Tigers he faced, including 10 straight.

“The thing about Yu Darvish, he bends but he never breaks,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “That’s a tremendous lineup he went through. After that third inning, he settled in and found something that was working and he continued to pitch.”

Verlander (4-4) gave up six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 2 2-3 innings, his shortest outing since going two innings in a 14-6 loss to the New York Mets on June 22, 2010.

The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner had allowed just four earned runs in four previous starts at Rangers Ballpark. It was actually the second time in Verlander’s last 16 starts dating to last season that he’s allowed eight runs, his career high. He did it in a 9-8 loss to Kansas City last August.

“It wasn’t much of a night to begin with but I’d definitely say the whole game kind of carry-over from my last start,” said Verlander, who was coming off his worst outing of the year in a loss to Cleveland. “I’m not somebody who is going to go home and pout about this, I’m somebody who is going to figure it out and figure it out in a hurry.”

Darvish (7-1) won his fifth straight decision, but baseball’s strikeout leader matched his season low with six strikeouts, and didn’t get the last one until Washington decided to bring him back out for the eighth even though he’d already thrown 115 pitches.

“Wash asked me if I could go longer and he seemed like he wanted to go a little bit longer,” Darvish said. “And I felt really good so I wanted to go. The bullpen guys were pretty used up in that last series so I wanted to go.”

Two nights after hitting two home runs in Oakland, Moreland had two doubles and three RBIs and pushed his batting average to .296 less than a month after he was hitting .157.

Darvish ran into trouble first when five of the first six Detroit hitters in the third inning reached, starting with Don Kelly’s first home run of the season into the lower porch in right field. Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez had sacrifice flies to put the Tigers ahead 3-1.

Verlander, the AL’s strikeout leader the past two years, gave up consecutive singles to start the first and third innings. The Rangers scored just once in the first, but the right-hander couldn’t survive the third once his control escaped him.

After Verlander hit Ian Kinsler with a curveball to loaded the bases, Elvis Andrus walked to score a run before Lance Berkman struck out on check swing on a pitch so high it bounced off the bricks behind home plate and came straight back to the catcher Kelly. Adrian Beltre walked to tie the score, and the hits from Moreland and Soto came after one of three strikeouts by Nelson Cruz, who hit his 11th homer.

Between them, Verlander and Darvish threw 74 pitches in the third inning and allowed 12 base runners and 10 runs. It wasn’t quite the duel fans expected in Arlington’s most anticipated pitching matchup since Nolan Ryan beat Roger Clemens 2-1 in 1989.

“It was one of those where I think everybody in the world was looking for the matchup and it didn’t turn out too good,” Leyland said. “Those two guys out there and there were 12 runs scored — I don’t think anybody expected that. We probably let down the audience a little bit.”

NOTES: The Rangers landed in Texas about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, following an afternoon game in Oakland after their charter flight was diverted to Albuquerque, N.M., because of severe storms in the Dallas area. At least six people died after tornadoes struck Granbury, about 50 miles southwest of Arlington. … The Tigers sent RHP Al Alburquerque to Triple-A Toledo to work out issues with his control. He has 26 strikeouts in 14 1-3 innings, but has walked 13 and thrown six wild pitches. RHP Evan Reed was called up and made his major league debut in the sixth. … Rangers C A.J. Pierzynski (strained oblique) took batting practice Thursday and could go on a short rehab assignment starting Sunday. He’s eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday. … Kinsler tied the Rangers record held by Rafael Palmeiro with his 54th hit by pitch when Verlander plunked him on the shoulder with a curveball.